Strung Out Fiber Arts: free crochet patterns

Friday, February 12, 2016

Valentine's Free Crochet Pattern Roundup

Valentine's Day is coming up very soon, but there's still plenty of time to whip up any number of these quick, free designs to share with the sweethearts in your life. I've compiled a list of ten patterns that can all be made in an evening and don't require a ton of yarn.

Since you've got to love yourself first, I've started and ended the list with two of my very own patterns. Enjoy!

Candy Hearts is a fun design I whipped up last year. It's an easy pattern that works up quickly with basic stitches, topped off with a little surface crochet to write your message. The hearts can be stuffed for a bean bag, stress ball, or tiny pillow, or you can leave an opening in the seam and fill them with treats for your valentine. Either way they make a fun, quirky gift.

Danish Heart by Ali Pyper
I love the woven design on these Danish Hearts. I can imagine them as potholders, wall hangings or fancy valentines, maybe with a message tucked in somewhere.

My Foxy Valentine by Emma Varnam
This cute little amigurumi fox can hold a love letter in his tail. I think it's an ingenious way to deliver your valentine with a gift the recipient can hold onto for years.

Love is Cold Ear Warmer by Moogly
Cute and cozy pattern with a unique heart design. I really like how the hearts pop, and it sure does look like it'll keep your valentine warm through the rest of winter.

Love is Cold Ear Warmer - free #crochet pattern in 2 sizes on Moogly!

Love is Cold Ear Warmer - free #crochet pattern in 2 sizes on Moogly!

Heart Granny Square from Petals to Picots
Granny squares can have any number of uses depending on how you seam up the individual pieces. I can imagine a single one of these decorating a card, or many used to make a bag, a scarf, or even a Valentine's afghan (though there probably isn't time to put that last idea together--maybe next year).

heart granny square crochet pattern

Valentine's Day Mini Treat Bags from Crochet is My Happy Place
Fun idea to personalize your treats. They remind me of tiny Easter baskets and would be great for children to carry their Valentine's goodies.

Love Bug Amigurumi by Heliinä Swerdlyk
I love the quirky-cuteness of this little guy. The heart details in the eyes, wings, and antennas really turn up the volume on adorable.

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Hershey's Kiss by Heather Jarmusz
A kiss for your sweetheart! What more could anyone want? The simple features of the face are charming, but you could certainly personalize them to be as sweet or saucy as you like.

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Valentine's Kitty Hat by Knot Your Nana's Crochet
Cute and cozy gift for the little ones in your life.The colors and heart detail make this a lovely Valentine's gift, but it's not too cutesy for everyday wear.

Last but I hope not least is another one of my own free patterns, these Chocolate Candy Earrings. These are super duper quick to make, but do require a little bit of embroidery in addition to crochet and some glue gun skills to attach the earring backs. One of the fun things about crochet earrings like these is that even when they're very large, they're super light and comfy to wear.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Friday, January 1, 2016

New Year's Resolutions

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Have you ever made a yarn-related one? For many years I either didn't make them at all, or made half-hearted ones. I made resolutions I hoped would help me get into a particular habit or get closer to a particular goal, but they never worked all that well. And they didn't work for the most classic reason: I couldn't stick with them. They ended up feeling like too much, I'd miss a day or blow a self-imposed deadline and feel I hadn't kept the resolution already so missing more days was no longer meaningful.

The 3 Steps to Completing your 2016 New Year's Resolution

http://theodysseyonline.com/baldwin-wallace/steps-completing-2016-years-resolution/261136

For 2015, I changed the pattern. I made a single, very specific resolution, and I kept it! I resolved to publish 12 crochet patterns before the end of the year. That's one a month, of course, and my plan was to complete one every month. It didn't quite work out that way, but even though some months I published nothing and some months I published two patterns or more, the work got done. I reached my goal. There are two specific reasons I think my resolution worked for me this year in a way resolutions haven't worked for me in the past.

1. It's quantifiable. I didn't resolve to write "more" patterns; I resolved to write 12. Having a real count made the goal concrete and achievable in a way that "more" could never be. Once I'd gotten a couple done, there were only 10 left. A couple more, and it was only 8. There's an inherent reward in working toward a concrete goal like this one—it gets closer with every step.

2. It's personally achievable. What I mean by that is the resolution was attainable through my own actions only. Your goal might be to get published in a national magazine, but that isn't a very good resolution because ultimately it's not up to you. It's up to the magazine editors. Instead, you might resolve to submit something to a magazine twice a month. That way the resolution is something you can achieve all by yourself. I used the word "publish" in my resolution because I planned to be mainly self-publishing here on the blog and selling patterns myself on Ravelry and Etsy. I did have a few patterns come out in magazines, and of course I counted those, but I made sure not to rely on others to achieve my goal.

With this in mind, I think I'm going to repeat my resolution. I know I can do 12 more patterns this year. And I'd like to add to it by making a resolution about this oft-neglected blog I've started. I think I can do 50 blog posts in 2016. I'm not positive I'll make one a week, though I think that's a good goal and will help keep me on track, and I've got a couple "vacation" weeks planned into the number for when it just isn't going to happen. I know I can do it! (And hey, I'm already down to 49.)

To wrap up my year, here they are in order of appearance, the patterns I published in 2015!

1. The Mod Bob